


And the girl in the corner said boy I want to warn you (It'll turn into a ballroom blitz)

by Rai_Knightshade



Series: The Bradyverse [9]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Costume Parties & Masquerades, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, George Eads Appreciation Week 2020, Jill Lives, M/M, Mission Fic, Multi, The Bozer/Leanna is light, This is so self indulgent I apologize in advance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, everyone lives in this au and you can pry them from my cold dead hands, everyone's into the masquerade outfits, the Jill/Riley is blink and you'll miss it, the masks survived though!, the masquerade fic I've been wanting to write but hadn't gotten done yet, unfortunately it turned into a ballroom blitz so the outfits kinda died
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:48:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22906519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rai_Knightshade/pseuds/Rai_Knightshade
Summary: The Masquerade Fic; or, Brady spends a day at the Phoenix with Jill (who is super glad she didn't get murdered by a monster hell bent on revenge for a b rate plot, cause that'd sure suck 😒) while the Phoenix team takes on a masquerade ball run by a mob boss in San Diego. That's it that's the fic.
Relationships: Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Jill Morgan/Riley Davis, Samantha Cage/Desiree "Desi" Nguyen, Wilt Bozer/Leanna Martin
Series: The Bradyverse [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561579
Comments: 16
Kudos: 27





	And the girl in the corner said boy I want to warn you (It'll turn into a ballroom blitz)

**Author's Note:**

> Happy George Eads Appreciation Week everyone! Today's drawing (which I'll link at the top of the fic) comes with a fic! Woot woot! It's Favorite Ship day, and while this isn't super heavily MacDalton (aka my favorite ship, who's shocked), it's prevalent enough to fit, I think. It's also a Bradyverse fic because I am predictable as hell, although technically it should be in an alternate timeline where Mac and Jack keep their jobs at the Phoenix but I don't wanna make yet another series so I'm not gonna.
> 
> I don't wanna risk this getting too long so more details about the masquerade mission can be found in the end notes.

[GEAW Day 3](https://rai-knightshade-art.tumblr.com/post/611009452669321216/and-the-girl-in-the-corner-said-boy-i-want-to-warn) | The Other Masquerade Posts [1](https://rai-knightshade-art.tumblr.com/post/186961478198/tfw-you-get-so-taken-by-an-au-that-you-create-an) [2](https://rai-knightshade-art.tumblr.com/post/187016922733/part-2-of-the-masquerade-au-this-time-its-bozer) [3](https://rai-knightshade-art.tumblr.com/post/187028695433/part-three-of-the-masquerade-line-featuring-the) [4](https://rai-knightshade-art.tumblr.com/post/187142151248/and-with-that-the-masquerade-collection-is)

* * *

"Alright, where're the dumbasses? I thought I told everyone to be here at 0700 hours! We have a briefing to do people, not to mention you'll all be headed to the stylists as soon as I'm done with you for this assignment!"

"Uh oh, I think you made Aunt Matty mad Daddies," Brayden Macgyver commented softly, as he listened to Director Matilda Webber's continued ranting from down the hall. He looked up at his fathers, one on either side of him, a frown on his face. "Are you gonna apologize? You should probably apologize."

"Don't worry, buddy, Matty won't be too mad when we tell her why we're late," Jack Dalton quipped, looking down at his son with a smirk.

"But yes, we're going to apologize," Angus Macgyver butted in with a pointed look at his fiance.

"Right, right, we'll apologize," Jack sighed in defeat, which earned him a smile from his partner. Both men took a deep breath before walking inside the war room, sheepish looks already plastered across their faces. Brady, unconcerned by his parents' fears, darted around them to sit on the couch next to his Aunt Sam. "Hi Aunt Matty! Hi Auntie Sam and Desi and Riley and Uncle Bozer!"

"There you two are! What took you so long, I told you to be here 15 minutes ago!" Matty glared at her wayward operatives, but softened when she glanced over at Brady. "Hi Sunshine, good to see you today, although shouldn't you be at daycare?"

"That's what we wanted to talk to you about Matty," Mac quickly interjected. When she turned to face him with a quizzical brow, he continued. "Brady's daycare is closed today, something about a water pipe burst, and none of his back up sitters were available. It took us 30 minutes just to get through all the options, and by the time we were done we were already late and had no choice but to bring him with us. Is there anyone here who can watch him while we're on the mission, maybe?"

Matty deadpanned. "Seriously? There was no other options?"

"We didn't exactly have time to ship 'im off to my Ma or to Val in Mission City, here, Matty," Jack added. 

Their boss sighed in defeat. "I guess we have no choice, then; he can stay with Jill in one of the conference rooms." As if she'd been summoned, Jill appeared in the doorway with her tablet. 

"Oh, it's a Brady day? I've got the perfect idea for a fun day at the Phoenix. Director, I've got some new information on the mission that just came in, I'm transferring it to your tablet now. Brady, if you want to come with me, I'll show you the styling area where the adults are gonna get ready for their mission!"

Brady leapt up from where he'd been listening to Sam describe how she was reading everyone's body language. "Aunt Jill! Do I get to see the labs and the computer vaults today?!" As he spoke he ran up to her with a wild grin.

As the two left their conversation could be heard in the distance. "Maybe the labs, but you're still a little small to see the computer vaults. I think you'll like the styling area though!"

Matty closed the door behind them and turned towards the rest of the team, all members of which were watching her intently. "Alright, now that babysitting duties for our smallest team member have been taken care of, let's get this brief done so our stylists can get to work." She pulled up an image of a dark haired, blue eyed woman on the screen. "This is Zarina Melikova..."

* * *

"YEEOUCH! Jesus, lady, is the waxing really necessary??" Jack whined, as a strip of wax was pulled from around his eyebrows. The stylist working on him glared as she put more wax around the other eyebrow.

"Stop wiggling, Agent Dalton, or else you'll end up with a nonexistent eyebrow! Yes, the waxing is necessary; Melikova's fellow elites all take meticulous care of their appearances, including the men, which means waxing and skin care. Be lucky your suit covers you everywhere else!" Jack paled at that thought, but it didn't stop him from crying out when she pulled wax from his other eyebrow.

"OWW!"

* * *

"So you were in computer science before you moved to beauty and costuming?" Riley Davis asked her stylist as the man pulled her hair into a high ponytail. "That's a surprising jump, what made you change?"

Her stylist met her eyes in the mirror. "Computer Science was what my parents wanted for me, ya know? And at first I thought I wanted it too, but one week of classes in and I realized it wasn't for me. It took me a bit to figure out what I actually wanted, but I'd always admired the costumes in films and stage plays, so on a whim I took a costume design class and never looked back!"

Riley grinned at him through the mirror. "That's pretty wild, dude, but I admire your guts; changing your major to something completely different from what your parents wanted? That's hard to do, even if it all worked out in the end."

"It was! It was worth it though; I never thought styling secret agents would be my dream, but now I can't imagine doing anything else! Now," he paused as he clipped part of her hair out of the way to start the bun, "let's talk about you, getting all fancy to smooze some Chechen ex-pat turned San Diego mob boss. Sounds like a fun job, hm?"

"Eh, I actually don't like dressing up all that much," Riley replied with a small shrug. "I'll just be happy when it's all over and I can get out of that stuffy dress."

"You and me both, honey."

* * *

Samantha Cage looked down at the book in her lap as her stylist put her hair into curlers. She was quiet, alternating between reading the book and thinking about the mob boss she was supposed to be getting Intel from in just a few short hours.

Her stylist noticed the book in her hands and commented, "Good read?"

Sam looked up with a small smile. "It's growing on me."

* * *

Desiree Nguyen was not terribly calm in her seat at the vanity, squirming a bit as her stylist tried to apply some foundation around her jaw. "Really, Agent Nguyen, shouldn't you be used to this by now? I don't know how many times I've had to do your hair and makeup for formal events at this point."

Desi grimaced. "No matter how many times we go through this, it still feels weird and uncomfortable to look all... Dolled up."

Her stylist gave her a sympathetic smile. "I understand; I'll give you the bare minimum of makeup, but you do have to uphold the standards of these 10-percenters so I can't go too light." The stylist looked over at the garment bag hung on the door, then turned back to her agent with a grin. "Although I think you will be pleased to learn that your outfit is less 'ballgown' and more 'formal suit.'"

The former Ranger thought about that for a moment, a slow grin appearing on her face. "Yeah, that helps, actually."

* * *

"Oh man, I got this 'Count of Owls' persona /down/! Mysterious, but a little quirky, with a flirtatious half-smile always at the ready. This Melikova lady isn't gonna stand a chance against my charm!" Wilt Bozer was energetic as he spoke about his role in the mission, gesticulating wildly even as his weary stylist attempted to fit him for his suit jacket.

"And what if she doesn't fall for your charms, Agent Bozer? What happens then?"

Bozer froze, bringing his hand to his face in a thinking motion (and mercifully making it easier for the stylist to finish marking the other sleeve for a ladder stitch). The answer came to him only after a moment. "We'll sic Mac on her; few ladies can resist my masculine wiles, but I've never seen a woman with even a passing interest in men say no to his baby blues. Very few men either, actually; no wonder Jack was hooked by the time he made it to L.A."

The stylist paused in his work to think about that himself. "Yeah, how did Dalton phrase it? 'Twisted steel and sex appeal?' Sounds about right to me." The two men commiserated on the other team members' hotness for a while as the suit was tailored to Bozer's form.

* * *

"Daddy I'm _bored_. When's Aunt Jill gonna be back?? I wanna see the labs!"

Mac chuckled softly at his son's complaints, holding still as his stylist carefully added eye shadow to his right eye for a subtle sheen. "She'll be back here in a few minutes, I promise; and she's got a present for you when she does, remember? You just have to be patient."

Brady pouted at the unsatisfactory response. "But I wanna see the labs _now_ , Daddy! What'll I do until she comes back? There's nothing here to do!"

The stylist, previously silent, pipes up. "You could come watch me put on your dad's makeup if you'd like; I can explain the process like a documentary, since I know you like those." Brady's oddities were well known throughout the Phoenix at this point, including his love of PBS documentaries and web shows.

Brady looked like he was pondering that for a moment, then shrugged and hopped off the couch, coming up to the vanity to watch the stylist work. They narrated the whole process as they gave Mac eye shadow, eyeliner, a bit of mascara and some contouring to sharpen his jawline and cheekbones further. Brady watched intently, finally sitting still for a bit as he focused on the process.

Once the stylist was done and they'd put Mac's hair into its final style of soft waves and curls, Mac looked down at Brady with a grin. "Well? What do you think?"

Brady looked up in awe. "Daddy.... You're so pretty!" He exclaimed, jumping up to get closer to see his father's face. "The makeup makes your eyes look so big and glittery!"

Mac shared a chuckle with the stylist and stood up. "I'm glad you like it! Hopefully the other people at the party like it too, yeah?" He stepped over to his hanging garment bag and unzipped it, revealing the suit beneath. "Now, I think it's time for me to play dress up, don't you?" Brady nodded fervently, staring at the suit. He looked like he wanted to say something but didn't, so Mac gently encouraged him. "Was there something else you wanted to say, buddy?"

Brady put his hands behind his back and twirled his toe a little bit, uncharacteristically shy. "Daddy... I think I'd like to play dress up too. Can I?"

Mac looked like he had to think about it for a second, even though his answer was automatic. "I don't see why not, although we'd have to get you a suit..."

"Did someone say suit??" Jill called out as she peeked in the door. "Oh good, you're still decent. I have returned bearing gifts!" She opened the door wider and walked in, an assistant following behind with a small garment bag and two shoe boxes.

"Aunt Jill! I wanna play dress up like Daddy, can you get me a suit pretty please?" Brady was enthusiastic as he bounded up to her, paying no attention to the assistant that slipped out the door a minute later.

Jill grinned widely and gestured to the bag and boxes she brought. "Why, Brady, whyever do you think I brought the garment bag? It contains a suit just for you! Matty said you could play dress up with it for today, then set it aside for your parents' wedding, yeah?" She turned to Mac, who was gobsmacked. "She said it was an early wedding present for you guys, just one less expense for the wedding since you'll be helping the others rent or buy their formalwear. It's washable too!"

Mac smiled, his eyes suspiciously watery. "Well then, thank you Jill, that means a lot actually." He turned to Brady with a wilder grin. "So, let's play dress up!" He was met with a loud cheer.

* * *

Jack lounged on a couch outside the fitting rooms, swiping at his game of Candy Crush while he waited for the other team members to finish getting dressed. Since his role of "The Lupine Sentinel" (he cringed at the over-the-top masquerade names Matty'd given them) was more rugged, he'd only needed a bit of styling (and waxing, ergh) to be ready. The others needed to be more polished, however, especially the ladies and Mac, so they were still in their rooms.

He was rubbing absently at his eyebrows, still sore from the wax, when one of the doors opened in front of him. He looked up to find Riley striding out into the room, reflecting in the mirrors on the walls and looking like the leopard her title was named for. Jack let out a low wolf whistle, a wide grin on his face as he watched her walk around. "Damn Riley-girl, they really went all out on you, huh? We're gonna knock those fancy pants mobsters dead if we're all lookin' as good as you!"

Riley shot him a faux-annoyed look even as she secretly preened at the attention. "Yeah, yeah, I'll just be happy to get out of this mask; it restricts my vision and I don't like it. Jack nodded sympathetically.

"I don't like it none either, Riles; can't see my six with those swirly bits in the way. It'll be worth it when we catch the lady and get home, though." Riley agreed and flopped down on the couch next to her chosen father figure, looking over his shoulder at his phone. 

"Are you seriously playing Candy Crush right now?"

"There was nothin' else to do out here! Plus I had to distract myself from the pain around my eyebrows."

Riley looked up at his face, taking a good look at it for the first time. "Oh damn, they waxed your eyebrows for this? Dude, I am _so_ sorry. They waxed mine too if it helps; shared pain, or whatever." She paused, eyes darting around his face. "They made you look pretty good yourself, though; fancy, but not overly so. You clean up good, old man!"

"Who you callin' old, little missy? I am barely 18 years older than you!"

"Yeah, that's old enough to be my bio dad rather than just adopted dad, old man."

The two bickered good-naturedly for another moment before another door opened and Bozer stepped out into the hall with a flourish. "The Count of Owls has arrived," he said, striking a posh pose. It was Riley's turn to whistle while Jack chuckled.

"Lookin' good, Boze-man! I bet Leanna's gonna be mighty disappointed she missed out on this!"

Bozer smirked, coming up to stand by the couch and lean against it conspiratorially. "Nah, I already sent her a picture and we agreed to, uh, 'misplace' the suit for a bit before it gets back to the Phoenix so she can see it in person." Riley gave him a fist bump, then Jack gave him a high five.

Immediately after, two more doors opened up for Sam and Desi to make their appearances. They received their own chorus of cheers and whistles as they glanced at each other appreciatively and locked elbows, strutting up to the couch. 

"Damn, Nguyen, you clean up _nice_! Can't believe I haven't seen you in formalwear since I got back." (Jack received a one-finger salute for his comment, but he just grinned right back.)

"Sam, our beautiful blonde goddess, the black suits you so well! We're sure to turn heads in there with you around."

"Hey, how come Desi gets a suit dress and I just get a dress? Is there a complaint hotline for the style department?"

The quintet talked for a minute, discussing previous formal missions that Jack had missed and how Riley could get her hands on a suit dress ("you can wear one as my best gal, Riles, I'm sure Mac won't mind"), and how Desi and Sam couldn't stop mooning over each other ("seriously, guys, you keep glancing at each other when you think no one's looking, it's adorable"), as they waited for Mac to finish up. Finally, the final door opened and Mac stepped out.

Between his fiery suit and ice blue eyes behind a gold mask, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was the perfect Phoenix King. A plethora of whistles and compliments surrounded him as he approached the group, coming from everyone on the team... Except Jack, who was struck dumb, entranced by his fiance's good looks.

"Damn, bro, I think you broke Jack!" Bozer commented, nodding at Jack who was still frozen. "Now I _know_ this is gonna be a cinch; all you'll have to do is bat your eyes at someone and they'll be tripping over their feet to help you, dude."

Mac chuckled as he sat down on Jack's other side, leaning against his fiance as he looked up at the others. "You aren't so bad yourselves, guys; the stylists really knocked us out of the park this time."

Jack finally rebooted with a shake, turning to look at Mac with a still somewhat shell shocked expression. Mac gave him a flirty grin and leaned in close to whisper under the continuing conversations around them. "Well? How do I look?"

Jack looked him up and down slowly, then met his eyes with a heated look. "We're keeping the mask. Your suit may not survive for a second appearance though. Dear lord, baby, is that gold eyeliner?"

"Yup, with some subtle fire-colored eye shadow to match. You like it?" At Jack's enthusiastic nod, Mac grinned, shamelessly looking over his fiance. "You know, you're not so bad yourself, big guy. I especially like the beard, it makes you look.... Ruggedly handsome, like a lone wolf."

Jack chuckled, leaning in close. "Yeah, they decided the more hair the better--'cept around my eyebrows."

Mac mock-pouted. "Aww, poor baby. You want me to kiss it and make it better?"

Jack looked down at his lips. "Well, since you're offerin'..." But before their lips could connect, the door to Mac's dressing room opened again to reveal Brady, who ran out into the room with a laugh. Everyone turned to look and cooed over him in his suit and mask.

"You look quite dashing, Brady."

"Yeah kid, you look great! You're rocking that bowtie and vest look!"

"Thanks Auntie Sam, Uncle Bozer! Playing dress up is lots of fun!"

Jack sat up and pulled out his phone, tugging Mac into his side and gesturing at Brady to come forward. "Check you _out_ little buddy! We gotta get a selfie of us boys together lookin' fly, come on!" Brady laughed and obliged, coming up between his fathers to make a silly grin for the camera.

"No one says fly anymore, Jack."

"Does it look like I care? We look fly, end of story, now get in the dang picture Mac!"

After a couple selfies with just the three of them, the other team members were pulled in too, until by the time Matty showed up the whole team was posing for a selfie on the couch.

"Alright, alright, break it up, we've got a mission to run! It's a 2 hour trip to San Diego, and no, you can't hop on the jet just to go a little over a hundred miles, Dalton, so don't even ask." Everyone grumbled good naturedly and stood up, gathering their things from their dressing rooms. Brady, meanwhile, bounded up to Matty with a wide grin.

"Aunt Matty! I love my new suit, thank you so much for getting it for me!"

Matty smiled indulgently at him. "You're welcome, Sunshine; I'm glad you like it. Now, you're gonna hang with Jill for the rest of the day, is that alright with you?" Brady nodded enthusiastically.

"Yup! I've got a bunch of ideas to share with her that she can help with!"

Jill herself entered a moment after, squeaking when she saw everyone in their formal outfits; her eyes lingered on Riley in particular before darting down to Matty. "Oh, I'm too pan for this, it's too much pretty in one room!" She commented softly, which got a surprise chuckle out of her boss.

"You work in this business long enough, you get used to it; spywork always seems to attract the prettiest people outside of Hollywood," Matty replied.

* * *

"Ok guys, it's official: I'm bored."

Desi looked over at Jack as he sighed quietly and sipped his whiskey. The Tigress Lady, as she was being called for the night, simply quirked an eyebrow at his dramatics. "It's only been an hour, Jack, these events last all night and it'll be a while before we'll have an opening. Just relax and enjoy the free alcohol; at least we aren't the ones smoozing right now." She nodded pointedly over at Mac and Sam, who were feigning interest in an oil tycoon's conversation that Desi could tell over the earpieces was trite.

Jack sighed again. "True, I don't necessarily wanna be talkin' up the Ewing-wannabe over there, but you'd think there'd at least be dancing or card games at these events, ya know? Something dramatic, maybe a little mysterious, to fit the masquerade theme. But no, all everyone does is just stand around and gossip." He looked back over at Mac, who was making his excuses to bow out of the conversation and move on through the crowd; Jack's gaze traveled his fiance's body in the suit he wore, eventually fixating on the small of his back. "I will say though, the view is nice."

"Really, Jack? Staring at your boyfriend's ass again? You're not subtle, you know." Desi gave him a pointed look to emphasize her point.

Jack just shrugged. "There's nothin' else to do, might as well enjoy the sights. 'Sides, that's my _fiance_ , not boyfriend; the ring under his shirt says I have eternal dibs to look whenever I want to." He paused, then gave Desi a lecherous smirk. "And anyways, it's not like you're any better; I seen the way you've been eyeing up Sam's long legs and bare shoulders all night, you ain't subtle neither."

Desi hid her blush behind a sip of her drink. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"He's right, DeeDee; I've felt your gaze on me all night," Sam chimed in, having finally freed herself from the oil tycoon and rejoined Mac next to the bar.

Mac chuckled too, a deep sound that made tingles go up Jack's spine. "I think it's safe to assume that all of us are a little... Distracted, by the outfits and our partners."

"Speak for yourself," Riley said from her corner spot with Bozer. They'd been snacking on hors d'oeuvres and watching the crowds, waiting to start their own smoozing. "Me 'n Bozer are doing just fine; it's you four that are 'distracted'."

Bozer nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's try to focus on the mission guys; we can discuss private plans for masks and outfits later, once we're done and out of here."

The others all murmured their agreement, matching up into different pairs to smooze the other guests. Luckily for Jack and his boredom, however, an announcement was made shortly after explaining that a dance floor was opening up in another room. He wasted no time in leading Mac to the dance floor, hands and arms linking together in a classic waltz pose. Mac smiled softly at him as they spun around the dance floor.

Jack looked like he'd been gut punched by Mac's smile. "Baby, how are you this calm?! I feel like I'm gonna vibrate on outta my skin just lookin' at you."

Mac smirked, leading Jack into a dip. "It's all about compartmentalization; I put my need to get extensive but worthwhile beard burn in a box in my mind so I can focus on the mission. I'll pull it back out later when the opportunity arises to make that dream a reality." 

Jack's awestruck look slowly morphed into a much darker smirk. "Beard burn, huh? I can work with that."

"Sorry to break up the flirt fest over there," Riley cut in, "but the target's been spotted, guys."

Mac gave Jack a feral grin and a kiss on the cheek. "Like I said, cowboy, we'll box that up for later."

* * *

"Jack, when you said the suit wouldn't make it to a second appearance, having it _burnt off of my_ **_body_ ** was not the way I expected that to go down!"

Jack panted as he ran down the street at Mac's side, patting down any lingering embers. "And you think that's how I wanted it to go either?!?! I've already experienced burning alive, baby, I'm the last person to want you experiencing it too!!"

"Guys there's an alley up ahead you can duck into," Bozer cut in over the comms. "Me 'n Riley are scrambling the bad guys, but exfil's still 15 minutes out!"

"Thanks, Boze, we owe ya one," Mac replied as he ducked into the suggested alley with Jack. "Desi, Sam, how you ladies fairing?"

A high pitched grunt could be heard over the comms. "Oh, we're just peachy, boys!" Desi called out, the sound of a bone cracking following shortly thereafter. "Our stylists are gonna be real pissed about the blood stains though; I hear they're a bitch to get out of satin."

"Speak for yourself, honey, this black dress is great at hiding stains; if it weren't bad luck I'd wear one just like it to the wedding." Sam's comment was followed by a distinctly masculine scream, presumably her latest victim.

"Right, Sammy's doing her best Bat Woman impression over here, I forgot. Anyways, we'll meet up with you for exfil in about 10 minutes tops, 'k? You'll have to clear your own path of goons, though."

Mac and Jack shared matching wild grins as Jack pulled out his weapon and Mac pulled out some stolen chemicals. "Oh, I don't think that's going to be a problem."

* * *

All 6 team members groaned as they dragged themselves into the war room for the debrief; the night had started as a masquerade ball, but it had ended as a ballroom blitz and everyone was feeling the effects. Mac and Jack collapsed together against the back wall, leaning on each other for support as they slid down to sit on the floor. Riley and Bozer flopped into the chairs, while Desi and Sam laid out on the sofa with matching grunts. Matty only raised an eyebrow at their pain before diving straight in.

"Well, despite the many, _many_ ways this mission went wrong, it was at least successful; the information Sam and Riley gained on Melikova is enough to put her in prison for the rest of her life, and dismantle her organization along with her. The Phoenix will have to pay for the cars you blew up," she glared at Mac and Jack, who only offered sheepish grins, "but luckily we have a good insurance plan that covers Mac's liberal use of pyrotechnics. Now, I want you guys to check in with medical, then the style department to turn in your outfits; I'm also granting you all the day off for tomorrow, so get some rest. Mac and Jack, you'll find your little prince in Jill's office, sleeping off his own party; he managed to convince us that we should host our own mini masquerade ball with our Phoenix employees, so they've been partying it up all afternoon and evening. You're all dismissed."

Everyone groaned anew as they rose out of their seats and limped out the door, holding each other as they went. Soft mumbles could be heard from each pair, namely "there are muscles I didn't even know I _had_ before now that are sore, man" and "d'ya think Matty dressed up for Brady's mini ball?" "Probably not, she's too stoic for that, even when it comes to Brady." Matty sighed at their antics before turning back to her tablet, queueing up her duties for the next day so she could leave as well. As she left the room, she picked up a mask left on the table, smiling down at it before sticking it in her pocket.

What kind of Aunt didn't wear a mask to her nephew's masquerade?

**Author's Note:**

> The Masquerade Mission:  
> This mob boss/drug kingpin gal, Zarina Melikova, is running a drug and weapons-smuggling organization in San Diego; she hides her illegal activities behind lavish parties for the wealthy socialites of SoCal, including Masquerade Balls. Mac, Jack, Sam, Desi, Bozer, and Riley are all infiltrating a ball to gather Intel to bring her down. The theme is Animals, so they have to be given formal code names for the ball:
> 
> Mac is the Phoenix King  
> Jack is the Lupine Sentinel  
> Riley is the Leopard Duchess  
> Bozer is the Count of Owls  
> Sam is the Mistress of Bats  
> Desi is the Tigress Lady
> 
> As a bonus, Brady gets to dress up too, as the Fox Prince.


End file.
